People / Michael Lombardino
Michael Lombardino

Michael Lombardino

Michael Lombardino is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group in Haynes Boone’s Houston office.

A trusted advisor, Michael’s practice focuses on representing employers in a wide array of workplace disputes, ranging from high-stakes non-compete and misappropriation litigation to complex wage-and-hour, discrimination, retaliation, and similar employment-related claims. He is a talented litigator who delivers consistently exceptional results for clients in the energy, manufacturing, industrial, hospitality, shipping, and health care sectors.

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  • Obtained multimillion-dollar settlement for large financial institution in a highly contentious non-compete case it filed after an executive recruited several handpicked employees to help a competitor establish a new business presence in the region.
  • Successfully defended a large health care company in TRO action brought by the prior employer of a newly hired employee, and subsequently securing an agreement to non-suit all claims with prejudice brought against our client without the client having to pay any money or extend the duration of any restrictive covenants.
  • Obtained summary judgment (and successfully defended the subsequent appeal) in multiple federal and state court discrimination and retaliation cases brought against clients in the energy, health care, financial services and insurance industries.
  • Obtained dismissal with prejudice for a large staffing company who was sued in an EEOC-initiated lawsuit alleging disability discrimination, along with a retracted press statement.
  • Obtained summary judgment on an exemption defense for an oilfield services company who was sued by a former employee alleging misclassification and seeking unpaid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Some of these representations were handled by Michael prior to joining Haynes Boone.

  • American Bar Association
  • Houston Bar Association
  • Houston Young Lawyers Association
  • National Institute of Trial Advocacy Training: Civil Trial Advocacy; Deposition Skills
  • State Bar of Texas
  • Toys for Tots: Volunteer
  • Young Professionals for the Houston Zoo (Flock)
  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc., for Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment, 2024
  • Selected to Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, Rising Stars list for Employment Litigation: Defense, 2016-2021
  • Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 2015
  • "DOL Proposes New Rule to Increase Overtime Salary Threshold,” author, Labor and Employment Client Alert, September 6, 2023.
  • “Viewpoint: Employers Need to Know if Workers Relocated During the Pandemic to Avoid Violating the Law,” presenter, Society for Human Resource Management (August 16, 2021).
  • “The Perceived Erosion of the At-Will Employment Doctrine in Texas, and What Employers Can Do to Protect Themselves,” author, 35 Volume XXXV, Corporate Counsel Review, p.32 (May 2016).
  • “Data Security: ‘Command and Control’ Questions and 10 Lessons for Employers,” co-author, Bloomberg BNA Insights, No. 15-01 (April 23, 2015).
  • “Bermuda Triangle: Managing Leaves of Absence Under the ADA, FMLA, and TWCA,” presenter, HR Houston (February 2015).

Education

J.D., Washington and Lee University School of Law, 2009, magna cum laude

B.A., The University of Texas at Austin, 2004

Languages

Spanish

Admissions

Texas

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico

Alerts
FTC Votes to Ban Noncompetes
April 25, 2024

As foreshadowed in our prior update about the proposed rule, on April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”) voted 3-2 to issue a final rule that will prevent “for-profit” employers from enforcing noncompetes against their employees and other workers, including traditional employees, independent contractors, interns, and volunteers—and, potentially, partners or members of b [...]